Here They
Are in All Their Glory!
The
Uniforms of the Buffalo Bills
Bask in the Tradition. Bask
in the Memories.
Titled “Single Focused” and Licensed by the National Football League,
the Artwork is available in two framed
presentations:
An eye-catching framed-and-matted print
measuring 12” x 21” that sells for only $52 each—which is an exceptional
value for a fully assembled Artpiece of this size. And a dramatic 19” x 39” triple-matted high-quality print (a
Letter of Authenticity is included) that is limited to an edition size of only
299 and sells for the discounted cost of $399.
Please note your Artwork will arrive at your
door in 7 to 10 days when you place your order. And needless to say, there is a 30-day full moneyback
guarantee. In addition, The
Greatest-Scapes pays all shipping costs and any required sales tax!
The Greatest-Scapes also offers the option of
an interest-free Extended Payment Plan for credit card orders. For the $52 framed print, you can pay $26.00
upfront and the balance of $26.00 thirty days later. While the $399 framed Limited Edition can be purchased with an
initial $133, and payments of $133 billed thirty and sixty days later.
To phone in your credit
card order, please call us at 1-800-786-3022 anytime between 10am and 6pm
(Eastern) Monday through Friday. You
can also mail in your order, payable to The Greatest-Scapes, to: The Greatest-Scapes/P.O. Box
5548/Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Please
include your shipping address and specify which Artwork(s) you’re ordering and
how many. And please don’t hesitate to
call us toll-free if you ever have any questions or would like any additional
information.
For your convenience, you can print out our
Order Form.
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And this Artwork evokes an unmistakably
Classic quality. Indeed, it will look
at home next to a diploma or a work of fine art. Whether you hang it on a wall or lean it on a shelf or mantle,
the Artwork will make a striking impression.
Please keep in mind, though, the visuals
depicted here on the website simply can not do justice to the detail and
quality of the actual Artwork.
Please note the uniform images shown are
produced from hand-painted watercolor paintings. The publisher chose this route, rather than photographs, because
in many cases original jerseys no longer exist, even at the various halls of
fame. In addition, a more consistent
look and feel for the uniforms is achieved by painting them, and allows for a
higher level of detail than a photograph in some cases.
Here, then, is a detailed description of the
12” x 21” Artpiece that sells for only $52 each. It consists of a 5” x 15” paper print that is housed in a black
frame with a textured black mat. The
black mat has a white groove cut into it, thus adding depth and beauty to the
piece. Weighing approximately five
pounds, the Artwork is covered by crystal-clear glass and includes a
“hanger” on the back to allow for easy hanging. The black frame—and especially the textured black mat with
white groove—makes this a truly stunning Artpiece.
The above is an example of
the 12” x 21” Artpiece, which depicts the Washington Redskins.
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As for the 19” x 39” Limited Edition Artwork,
please note each Artwork is printed on 115-lb Garda Gloss stock and then
mounted to avoid any rippling effects. As
for its matting and framing, the Limited Edition is triple-matted in an
acid-free framing style. The outer mat
is a rich, black textured mat with white core.
The middle and inner mat colors have been selected to complement the
team’s colors and the overall framed piece.
The matting is framed to create a shadow box effect, giving the entire
framed piece a unique three-dimensional look.
The frame is an exquisite solid wood frame finished with a rich black
matte texture, chosen to complement all three mats and the print itself. Finally, the Artpiece is protected by
high-quality framing glass; the total weight of the Artpiece being
approximately 10 pounds.
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The above is
an example of the 19” x 39” Limited Edition Artpiece,
which depicts
the New York Yankees.
Here then is the history of the Bills’ Uniforms …
#1.
1960 Even
though it’s a tenuous connection, let’s start the story of the Buffalo Bills
with the birth of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in 1946. The AFL
was a league established to rival the long since established NFL. In its inaugural
season the AFL had 8 teams: Brooklyn Dodgers; Buffalo Bisons; Chicago Rockets;
Cleveland Browns; Los Angeles Dons; Miami Seahawks; New York Yankees; San
Francisco 49ers. It gets a bit confusing because one might assume that at least
3 of these teams (Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and the 49ers) went on to
join the NFL in 1950 when the AAFC and the NFL agreed to a truce, but in fact
the deal was that the NFL would take in the AAFC’s two best teams, the Browns
and the 49ers, plus the lowly Baltimore Colts (who folded after one season in
the NFL). The rest of the AAFC teams simply ceased operations.
Getting back to Buffalo in the AAFC, the 1946
team was known as the Bisons. Prior to the 1947 season, a contest was held to
rename the team, which was owned by James Breuil of the Frontier Oil Company.
One entry suggested the name “Bills”, in honor of the famous western
frontiersman, Buffalo Bill Cody. Carrying the “frontier” theme further, the
entrant further suggested that the team was being supported by Frontier Oil and
was “opening a new frontier in sports in Western New York.” As you can imagine,
the team was renamed the “Bills”.
As mentioned above, however, when the AAFC
folded up shop after the 1949 season, so did the Bills.
Now turn the hands of time ahead to 1959, and
the birth of the American Football League (AFL), which was to begin operations
in 1960 as an 8-team rival league to the NFL. On October 28th, 1959,
Ralph C. Wilson is awarded the AFL’s 7th franchise and thus Buffalo
was back in the world of professional football and joined the following teams
in the AFL: New York Titans (now Jets); Dallas Texans (now Kansas City Chiefs);
Los Angeles Chargers (now San Diego Chargers); Houston Oilers (now Tennessee
Titans); Boston Patriots (now New England Patriots); and Denver Broncos. The
Oakland Raiders became the AFL’s 8th and final franchise after the
Minnesota franchise (which would go on to become the Vikings) opts out of the
AFL for the NFL before they play a single game.
When it came time to name Buffalo’s new AFL
team, the name of Buffalo’s earlier pro football team, the AAFC’s Bills, was
adopted.
Both the AFL and NFL competed head to head
for players, fans and broadcast revenue. This was the way it was from 1960 to
1965 - two separate leagues, two separate champions, although few people would
have honestly believed that the AFL champion could have beaten the NFL champs.
Then in 1965 the two leagues agreed to merge. It was decided that beginning in
1970 there would be only one league, the NFL. In the interim, between 1966 and
1969, the AFL Champion would play the NFL Champion for the “World
Championship”. It was only after the first World Championship had been played
in 1966 that the name “Super Bowl” came into being.
The Bills began play in 1960 at the inner
city War Memorial Stadium, and stayed there for 13 seasons. During that time
the Bills saw the capacity rise from 26,000 to 45,748.
A final stadium note: In 1973, owner Ralph C.
Wilson moved the Bills to “Rich Stadium” in suburban Orchard Park, NY. And turn
the hands of time ahead almost 30 years, and the owner is still Ralph C.
Wilson. In fact, so revered is Wilson that in 1998, civic leaders decided to
honor him and renamed the Bills’ stadium "Ralph Wilson Stadium."
This blue Bills jersey has white numbers on
both the front and the sleeves – note how high up the sleeve numbers are. The
helmet is white with black numbers – interesting since the team’s predominant
color is clearly blue.
As for on the field, the Bills finish year
one 5-8-1, good for 3rd place in the 8 team AFL.
#2.
1964 The
Bills’ first .500+ season was in 1962 when they finished 7-6-1. The following
season, 1963, the Bills tied the Boston Patriots with identical 7-6-1 records,
and thus the two teams faced each other in a one game playoff in Buffalo to
decide who would advance to the AFL Championship game. This was Buffalo’s first
ever playoff game, but home field advantage didn’t help them as Boston won
26-8.
But in 1964, the Bills won the AFL East
outright with a league best 12-2 record. Leading the team were QB Jack Kemp and
running back Cookie Gilchrist. The AFL Championship was played in Buffalo on
December 26th, 1964, and after giving up an early 7-0 lead to the
San Diego Chargers, the bills never looked back as they won the AFL
Championship by a score of 20 – 7.
This white ROAD jersey has blue numbers with
a red outline on the front and sleeves. There are also blue and red stripes
around the shoulders, the only era in Bills history that the jersey had these
vertical stripes. Note that the helmet now has a red buffalo on the side as
well as stripes on the top. This is not the more famous “charging buffalo that
the Bills have used for the last 25 years, instead it’s a rather peaceful
looking buffalo.
#3.
1965 The
Bills are back at it again in 1965. Their 10-3-1 record is tops for wins in the
league, and it earns them the right to play the 9-2-3 San Diego Chargers in San
Diego at Balboa Stadium.
Once again the AFL Championship is played on
December 26th, and once again the Bills set the Chargers back on
their heels, this time by a 23-0 score.
They say timing is everything, and had this
been 1966 instead of 1965, the Bills would have gone on to play the NFL
Champion for the “World Championship” (it was only after the first World
Championship had been played in 1966 that the name “Super Bowl” came into
being). But the AFL and NFL hadn’t yet agreed to a merger, thus each league was
satisfied with crowning their own champion and leaving it at that. (See below
for more on the AFL-NFL merger.)
The Bill’s coach from 1962 to 1965 was Lou
Saban, but after being named AFL Coach of the Year in 1964 and 1965, Saban left
Buffalo and resurfaced in Denver a year later.
Before we leave the 1960’s, the Bills had one
last good season. In 1967 the Bills finished 9-4-1, winning the AFL East and
thus faced someone other than the Chargers in the AFL Championship for the 1st
time in 3 seasons. The opponent was the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Chiefs
handed the Bills a 31-7 home loss. Had the Bills won, they would have played in
the “World Championship” game (which was later renamed Super Bowl I).
The period of time between 1966 and 1969
warrants a bit of explanation. The 8 team AFL began in 1960 as a rival league
to the NFL - both leagues competed head to head for players, fans and TV
revenue. And thus it was for 5 years - two separate leagues, two separate
champions (although few people would have honestly believed that the AFL
champion could have beaten the NFL champs). Then in 1965 the two leagues agreed
to merge. It was decided that beginning in 1970 there would be only one league,
the NFL, and that between 1966 and 1969 the AFL Champion would play the NFL
Champion for the “World Championship”. It was only after the first World
Championship had been played in 1966 that the name “Super Bowl” came into
being.
Thus the 1966 season saw the first meeting of
the AFL and NFL champions, with the NFL Champion Green Bay Packers humbling the
AFL’s KC Chiefs 33-10. (Even though the game was played in 1967, most football
historians refer to this as the 1966 Super Bowl because it was the culmination
of the 1966 season.) The NFL superiority was on display again in 1967, when the
NFL’s Packers pounded the AFL’s Raiders 33-14.
Then came 1968 and the stunning upset - the
AFL’s NY Jets shocked the football world by beating the NFL’s heavily favored
Baltimore Colts 16-7.
This 1965 blue HOME jersey has white numbers
with a red outline, both on the front and sleeve numbers. There are also white
and red horizontal stripes around the sleeves. The helmet has a red buffalo on
the side as well as stripes on the top.
#4.
1973 This
white ROAD jersey has blue numbers with a red outline on the front and sleeves,
which are short sleeves. There are also double rows of red and blue horizontal
stripes around the shoulders. In an interesting switch, the pants have changed
from white to blue, with red and white stripes down the sides. The helmet has a
red buffalo on the side as well as stripes on the top.
As noted earlier, Buffalo lost to the Kansas
City Chiefs in the 1966 AFL Championship game. In so doing, the Bills just
missed playing in Super Bowl I. Then, during the next five seasons, they sank
to the bottom, winning only 13 games while losing 55 and tying two. The two
most frightening seasons were 1968, when they went 1-12-1 (partly attributable
to the fact that they were without star QB Jack Kemp all season), and 1971,
when they could only manage a single win against 13 losses.
Interestingly, the Bills drafted OJ Simpson
out of USC in 1969, but Simpson was held back and gained only 697 yards in
1969, 488 in 1970, and 742 in 1971. Then in 1972, Coach Lou Saban returned to
coach the Bills and made the decision to let O.J. Simpson carry the team. Smart
move. Once again, the Bills were competitive, going 4-9-1 in 1972 and then 9-5
in 1973. And the responsibility certainly didn't bother the Juice: he ran for
1251 yards in 1972, then in 1973 he rushed for a stunning league-record 2,003
yards!
#5.
1975 This
is a blue HOME jersey with white numbers on the front and sleeves. There are
also white and red stripes around the sleeves. The helmet is still white but
has a new “charging buffalo” logo on the side as well as stripes on the top. We
have chosen to show a foam neck collar because many Bills players wore foam
collars in this era.
The Bills made the playoffs in 1974, but fell
to the powerful, Super Bowl bound Steelers 32-14. In 1975, the year depicted by
this jersey, the Bills finished 8-6 but out of the playoffs, and they would
remain on the outside looking in until making the playoffs again in 1980.
Simpson, however, had another monster year in 1975, gaining 1817 yards on the
ground. This would be his second to last big season, and third to last season
as a Bill. (Can you name where Simpson played after the Bills, and for how
long?)
#6.
1984 This
is a blue jersey with white numbers on the front and sleeves. There are also
white and red stripes around the sleeves, only now the stripes extend to the
end of the sleeve cuff. There is also a small red and white collar on this
jersey. Of note is the helmet, which is red and features the blue buffalo logo
on the side.
The patch on the left shoulder celebrates the silver anniversary of the
founding of the AFL (American Football League). Each of the original AFL teams
(Buffalo, Oakland, San Diego, Kansas City, Denver, San Francisco, Patriots,
Jets) wore this patch in 1984. But the particularly interesting thing about
this patch is that each team wore a different version, one that incorporated the
team logo into the patch.
In 1984 the Bills are in the midst of a
horrible slump. They go 4-5 in the strike shortened 1982 season and 8-8 in ’73,
but then the bottom drops out and the Bills finish out of the playoffs until
1988.
But 1986 and the coaching era of Marv Levy is
about to begin, and thus the future is looking quite bright.
#7.
1988 This
is a white ROAD jersey with blue numbers and red trim on the front and sleeves.
In a departure from previous road jerseys, there are single blue stripes at the
cuffs of the sleeves. The helmet is red with the charging blue buffalo logo.
The team’s steady improvement under 3rd
year head coach Marv Levy is evident, and in 1988 the Bills finish a highly
respectable 12-4. But perhaps the Bills rise also had a little something to do
with the 1986 arrival of QB Jim Kelly and the 1985 addition of Bruce
Smith. Or the 1988 arrival of Thurmon
Thomas .
Regardless of what the reason, the Bills make
the playoffs for the 1st time since 1981, and more importantly,
notch their first playoff victory since 1965. The win came on New Years Day in
Buffalo. The opponent was the Houston Oilers, and the final score was 17-10.
Next up were the surprising Kansas City
Chiefs who tied with the Bills and the Chicago Bears for the league’s best
record at 12-4. But in the AFC Championship Game, played in Cincinnati at
Riverfront Stadium, the Bengals down the Bills 21-10.
But don’t despair, something special is
brewing…
#8.
1990 Oh
Baby what a season!
The Bills go 13-3 for their 2nd
best winning percentage ever (they went 12-2 in 1964 in their first AFL
Championship season). The names trip off the tongue: Don Beebe, Cornelius
Bennett, Shane Conlon, Jim Kelly, James Lofton, Pete Metzelars, Scott Norwood
(be kind!), Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, Darryl Talley, Steve Tasker, Thurmon
Thomas, Coach Marv Levy and many more.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Bills
and Dolphins have a score-fest, with the Bills outscoring the Dolphins 44-34.
Then in the AFC Championship game, the Bills lay a licking on the LA Raiders
like nothing they’ve ever seen before – final score Bills 51, Raiders 3. The
Rich Stadium fans were in a state of shock, the Bills were off to Super Bowl
XXV in Tampa Bay a week later.
In life we can play the game of “what-if”
until we’re blue in the face, and it isn’t going to change anything. So let’s
just say the Bills came within a goalpost of winning it all, but instead fell
to Ottis Anderson and the rest of the New York Giants 20-19. But what a year,
and to a man the Bills knew they would be back.
This is a white jersey with blue numbers and
red trim on the front and sleeves. There is also a single blue stripe on the
cuff of the sleeve. As we have seen previously, the helmet is red with the blue
buffalo logo on the side. The patch on the left shoulder celebrates the team’s
trip to Super Bowl XXV in Tampa Bay. This is a trend that began, I believe,
with Super Bowl XXV. In almost every Super Bowl since then, the final two teams
add a commemorative patch to their jersey to honor their Super Bowl
appearances.
#9A.
1991 Round
Two.
The bills finish the 1991 season with another
13-3 record.
In Round One, the Bills face off against the
Kansas City Chiefs, who handed the Bills their worst loss of the regular
season. As if out to prove that was a one-time wonder, the Bills take the field
and swamp the Chiefs 37-14 – it was 24-0 before the Chiefs could get anything
on the board.
Next up the AFC Championship Game, to be
played in the friendly confines of Rich Stadium in front of the usual 80,000
fans. This turns out to be a titanic
defensive struggle, but our Bills come out on top by a slim 10-7 score.
After a two-week break, it was on to the
Metrodome in Minneapolis for Super Bowl XXVI against the Redskins, who powered
their way into the Super Bowl with a 41-10 drubbing of the Lions. Washington stakes a 17-0 half time lead, and
just when fans think it’s all over, the Bills claw their way back into the game
with 10 straight points to start the second half. But that’s as close as the
Bills get, and they go on to a 37-24 defeat at the hands of MVP Mark Rypien.
The jersey we have shown here is a blue HOME
jersey. This is a somewhat familiar looking uniform – it’s a blue home jersey
with white numbers on the front and sleeves. There are also white and red
stripes around the sleeves. The helmet is red with the blue buffalo logo on the
side. If you look closely at this jersey, you will note a smaller
patch the NFL shield on the jersey’s neckline. Most NFL uniforms added
this NFL logo patch to the neck and upper left thigh of the pants beginning in
1991 - an exception being in 1994 when teams occasionally wore
"throwback" uniforms celebrating the NFL's 75th anniversary – in
those cases most teams didn’t wear an NFL shield/patch.
#9B.
1993 We’ve
skipped the 1992 uniform, yet we can’t skip the season. It’s déjà vu all over
again as the Bills go 11-5, then win 3 playoffs games, including a Wild Card
game vs. Houston in Buffalo that will go down as the “I was there game” of all
time in Bills history.
Part way into the 3rd quarter, the
Oilers have a 35-3 lead, and it’s all over but the crying.
Can you say Frank Reich?
Final score, Bills 41 – Oilers 38. An
overtime thriller to tell the grandkids about.
The Bills make it to Super Bowl XXVII, but
come up lame against a hungry Cowboys team. Final score? Let’s just say the
Bills lost.
1993
Now it’s on to the 1993 season, the actual
year of this jersey. We’ve shown a #4 on the jersey to honor the fact that the
Bills have made it to the Super Bowl for the 4th time in a row. This
is a white jersey with blue numbers and red trim on the front and sleeves.
There are also blue stripes around the shoulders. The helmet is red with the
blue buffalo logo on the side. It’s identical to the 1990 jersey except for the
addition of the NFL logo shield/patch - if you look closely at this
jersey, you will note a small NFL shield patch on the jersey’s neckline.
Most NFL uniforms added the NFL logo patch to the neck and upper left thigh of
the pants beginning in 1991 - an exception being in 1994 when teams
occasionally wore "throwback" uniforms celebrating the NFL's 75th
anniversary.
There is a small sense of “now or never” as
the Bills dedicate their season to a single goal – to win the Super Bowl. By
finishing 12-4, the Bills accomplish step one.
By beating the Raiders 29-23 in a come from
behind win at Rich Stadium, step two is in the books.
Next up, the Dolphins. And in true
workmanlike fashion, the Bills dismiss Joe Montana and the Chiefs 30-13 in the
AFC Championship played at Rich Stadium. Step 3 completed.
Fate beckons.
At halftime, the Bills hold a 13-6 lead over
Dallas, and victory is so close fans can actually taste it.
And then the roof caves in, the Cowboys score
24 unanswered points and the Bills lose their 4th Super Bowl 30-13
played in Atlanta at Georgia Dome
But rather than dwell on the negative, let’s
look at it another way. Starting in 1988, Marv Levy lead the Bills to five AFC
Eastern titles in six years and became the only team ever to play in four straight
Super Bowls.
And through it all, Bills fans have been
magnificent. Playing at suburban Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, NY, the Bills
set an NFL single-season attendance record of 635,889 in 1991. And through it
all, owner Ralph C. Wilson has remained as one of the oldest owners, in terms
of longevity, in the entire pro football world. In 1998, civic leaders decided
to honor the owner and renamed the home of the Bills, "Ralph Wilson
Stadium."
#10.
1994 During
the ‘94 season, the NFL and its franchises were showcasing ‘throwback’ jerseys,
or replicas of older uniforms to help commemorate the NFL’s 75th
anniversary. The 75th anniversary was signified by the large,
diamond patch on the left shoulder.
The Bills were supposed to honor their 1964
uniform, but somehow got mixed up along the way and didn’t include the white
helmet with the red buffalo logo. Oh well, we’re all far from perfect, and it
makes for a good discussion. But because of the mix up we have chosen not to
show the throwback jersey, but instead we’ve shown the white road uniform the
team wore in 1994.
One other note about the uniform: If you look
closely at almost all NFL uniforms worn from 1991 on, you’ll note a small NFL
shield patch on the jersey’s neckline. Most NFL uniforms added the NFL logo
patch to the neck, and to the upper left thigh of the pants, beginning in 1991.
The only major exception to this practice was in 1994 when the teams wore their
throwback uniforms – in almost all of these cases, the throwback jersey did not
have the small NFL patch. But since this isn’t a throwback jersey, it should,
and does, have the NFL shield patch.
This is a white jersey with blue numbers and
red trim on the front and sleeves. There are also blue stripes around the
shoulders. The helmet is red with the blue buffalo logo on the side. There are
two patches on this jersey. The diamond patch on the left shoulder celebrates
the NFL’s 75th Anniversary. The patch on the right shoulder
celebrates the Bills 35th anniversary – the team was founded in
1960.
In 1994, by the way, the Bills’ streak of
making the playoffs for 6 straight years (1988 – 1993) came to an end as the
team finished 7-9, far out of the playoff picture.
#11.
2000 This
is a blue jersey with white numbers on the front and sleeves. There are also
white and red stripes around the sleeves. The helmet is red with the blue
buffalo logo on the side. The blue of this jersey jumps out at the viewer a bit
more than most of the other blues, and I think this is partly related to the
type of fabric now used by most teams in the manufacture of the jersey.
If you look closely at this jersey, you
will note a smaller patch, the NFL shield, on the jersey’s neckline. Most NFL
uniforms added the NFL logo patch to the neck and upper left thigh of the pants
beginning in 1991 - an exception being in 1994 when teams occasionally wore
"throwback" uniforms celebrating the NFL's 75th anniversary.
Wracked by a divisive quarterback controversy
– Doug Flutie or Rob Johnson - the 2000 Bills struggled to an 8-8 mark after
going 11-5 in 1999 and coming within a trick play (by the Tennessee Titans) of
making it to Round Two of the playoffs.
If the pattern of previous Bills teams is an
indication of what’s to come, fans should brace themselves for a couple of lean
years, but then the Bills always seem to rise from the ashes.
***************************************
The Buffalo Bills: “Single Focused”
TRADITION…
MEMORIES… CLASSY…
Order Yours Today … and Revel in it!
800-786-3022
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